Improved floating batteries for ships and other navigable vessels



UNITED STATES JANTES HYDE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO THOMASICEECH.

PATENT OFFICE.

IMPROVED FLOATING BATTERIES FOR SHIPS AND OTHER NAVIGABLE VESSELS.

tion forming;l part ot- Lettera Patent No. 37.2232, dated lleccmher 33,lotil.

.Tn all whom, it m/rll/ concer/1,:

lle it. known thatI .1, Jamas lIvnE, of New 5 York, iu tht` eounty ot'New York, in the Stato of New York` havc invented certain new umlnset'ul lmprovements in Floating Batteries; und l do hert-hy declarevthat the following is 'i n full and exact description thereof, referencelieinglnnltotlnr. accompanyingdrawings,|uakincr part. ot' thiaapplication.

My invention relates lo that kind of tloating,r hattcry in which theenna are arranged within a revolving: or rotating tui-ret" or ease,which ia made ahot.-proot', and with ports, through which the guns` aredischarged. lu the various hatteries 0f this cla-ss heretofore made ithas heen necessary to employau immense amount ot' power to operate therevolvin,r turret, and the amount of requisite nunzhinery has been sogreat aa to render it, impractical to have the craft. seagoingandpossessany very great comparative. speed. And another rreatl practicalditlicnlty in making: a` suceesstul hatteryot' this kind has heen theimpossibility otkeepiugi the. guns nearly level and workin,"r themrapidly and easily. I

These und other minor ditliculties itv is the objectot' my presentinvention to overcome. in the production ot` asea-going: eratt which mayl he. made. to possess: tht` requisite degrees ot' strength and speed,while at thesalne time the. revolvingr turret is so constructed andeo|n` hiued u'ith the hotly ot' the. ship as to he readily turned andadjusted hy a tcw nien, und romains nearly level whihl tlnguns ure hcng'yvnrlzml illy invention consists in the employment, in combination withany kind of shipshull or i hotly of a tloatiug' turret.1 so arranged asto tloat. in water contained within theahip's hull (or in a.compartment. formed therein) and ho readily rota-ted by machineryv inthe turret, as hereinafter more fully explained; and my inventionfurther consists in foi-mim,r a continunication hetween thc inside ot'the ship and the inside ot' thc turret. by a anitahle passageway throughhollow frames which Sustain the. ccntral shaft. und throughthesaidslnift1,usl1ero inatter more fully described; and my inventionfurther consists lu a novel arrangementI ot L the guns on curvedrailways in a manner which will be presently explained.

To enable those `skilled in the art to make and uso my invention, 'Iwill descrihe one of my improved tloatimgr batteries, referring byletters to the accompanying drawings, forming partl of thisapplica-tion.

Figure l isusideelevation. l-igfl is avertical longitudinal section.]"i;,r..i is ahoriznntal section at the linoa: .1', Fie. 2; and Fig. tis a plan view of the. gun-deck or Iloor ol' turret.

lu the. lQeveral figuri-s the. sama letter of reference indicates thesanto part ot' the appai ratus.

A represents the hull or hotly of aship with its diti'ereut decks Il MN, and constructed in* any desired model. about; tho center of which" isformed a reservoir or comlmrtment, G. This reservoir C is nearly tiltedwith water, as shown i in hlue tint in the drawings, in which tlonts theturret or gnirllousc l). This turret D should he vmade in the usual way,of' plates of iron sutliciently strong to withstand allot, and

somewhat dome-shapcd, (where itY protect` ahove thchull A),todetleetshot. tired againstit. P isahollow arch-like frame, extending:from l the hull A o ver the turret. ll, and from which projects downwardthe hollow shaft. l`, in the the lower oud of which is titted, so as toslide, freely up and down, a. stud or shaft, a. Said Shaft. a isconnected to the Itoor or deck S of the turret, l) hy two cross pivots,l and .E, forming: a universal joint. l\ronnd tln` lower part, 0fshut't, l", at, the solid part l` is arranged and Secured a frame, It,on which is hung n system of gearing for turning the. spuugear c, whichis keyed onto shaft. u, and couserpteutly turns the turret iu thereservoir. lu one-halt' ot the hollow frame l there is formed astaircase., 1:, over which, t'rom the steps I, persons an pass from theinterior of' hull A to the winding; stairway n in hollow shaft l", andthence down through the doorway I into the turret. On the upper deck,ll., ot' the turret; is constructed the railway for the. guns K. Thearrangement ot'sa-id railway s and the. ,frunazarrages will be liestunderstood hy reference. to Fig. et, which is u plan of deck 1t.. '.lhefour guus 1( travel on t'our railways, a, cach about. in the sha-pe ota.quarter ot' a. circle. the ear- '.riagea being,r ctmstrueted withsector-franus l, which are hung at ono end on pivots around which thecarriages travel.

In Figa/1 I have drawn the carriages in their normal position, andlQhown one in red lilies run ont to itu port ready iur .fiction or lwhen the heavy turret is not. tlouted :lud iu itl-ing'. The ports t. ureunido ill the nsuul luunuer, with closing iroll doors.

ll nre elevutors or dumlrwuters, through i wlliell nnnnnnition is pusaedup i`rolu the lower deelt@ of the tui-retto lilo gunner-u, un required.lt. will he seen thutJ by turning: the crunk-huudles o o the geuru h Ilwill ilnpurt', lllotiull t0 the gonraff. (in the ullui'tn oi genre ffuro two bevel-trennt, l' i, whleh lueelh into nlld drive the genre q g,ou the uhutt et' wlllell lutter ure l-wo upnrplllions, d d, which drivethe lurge geur e, Beenled to uhuft u. (Seo Fig. 2.) Il'.

will he ulnlerutood, then, tllutI hy 'turning the hunllleu n n thetll'rletI l) iu lotuted` its ulnllt. u tnrninler ill the uoeltet foruledill the. lowel` und, l, ofthe. ulu'li't l". ulld ohio sliding up unddown in uuid uoell'et to unit tile vuriuhle poultionu of the. turret l)ill itu reservoir. While the turret is free to rotuto on the rdlut't u,it is uluot'ree to tip in no v direetion lo' virtlle. ot' the universalijoint i'urlned h v pivots l lllld 2, hv which the ldlntt a iu eonpled tothe. deelt S ut. the pointj. (See Flint. .2 ulld 3.) To udlnit. ot`thiutipping or eureening. (euused hy thel lnotinns ol the uhip or h v thetllrretl lnlviug more weight oft-nunon ouvoue Hide tilull the other undut the uzllne linie niwll'vu llnvo the topot'theturret,throln1ilwhiehtheutntionury almlt. l` prinsen, elosed light. i urrunge u eollur,(dinllmhnped.) J. nlound the. upper end of uhuft, l", lolilieelltiylul'ge to ulwuyu keep eovl`red the opening lnullo in top ol' il, toudnlit. utlieient ploy oi' the. tnrlet.

i llnve shown one-hnlfol' tile hollow trulne divided *oil hy npllrtitiou` r, to lol'lu n unieke-stuck. In the other portion, used nuthe puxsngewvny, xnlull holen m muy ho londe through the inlurund outersides for venti-l lutioll.

lt will-he uudernlood thnt, ily huvillt.' till` turret l) lioutini.Y illu reuervoir. uu nhown llnd lleuerliwd, ull flietlon i`loln the nuunluupportillu luechunienl devieeu le nvoided, und the turret euu hereudlly turned h v innld-lmwer in lien of nteuln-power now oued. withitu net-ele nur v nccotupunhnentx of unlehlnory.

ily thus dispensing with uli the lnuehiuery und engines nowxuxed toopernto the turret iu this clutut oiiiuiterlex, i unl ennhled toeotlutrnct luy hull with the uduptntlonu to grenier upeed nuduenworthiuexx tllllll ellll he uttuined operuted ill the lualunelheretofore pluetieed.

lt will he understood that by lluving the turret to tlout, suldescribed, the eureeniui,r ef the ship will not. uileet uuid turret sonlueh, the tendent-.v ot' the witter ill the reservoir hoiup; toluuintuiu itu level` wllerelly the turret, i) iu euuuell to tlollt, inu. level condition while the hull A tips, nu illnstrnted ill red liliesut. ["ig. l, where-h v n grenier degree ot neellruey eun iw uttuinell intiring.: the. guns thun eun he ulrived nt ill the present. luodu otconstrue-tion.

The unnlil red eirele. in Fig. l indieutes the eeuter ol ulotion ot' theship uround the turret. 'lhere ure uuilullle lrupu or openings t'oremulnnnieution lil-tween tlollill'ereut. eonlpurt.- lnelltuordeeltsoftluturret, nxseen :lt ti, Vig. .'i, ill the deehh',

When the. tllll'rl irl not ill use t'ol \\:lll purpnuex, iL luu \l heused with groot eolut'ort. nel n euhin, heilig l'ree troni thennpleusnut. nloliou- 0l' ille. hull or ship.

it. iu obvious tlnltl in v invention iu suhieet. to ulunyluodith-.ntious without depurtint,r t'rnul itu upilit, ullll i desire toho lieellred h v lietteru lutent uguinut ull infringements in nluehilleuor uppurutnx involvingr tn v invention, though dtl'el'ently eonutrlletedin deizlil.

il'it ile l'olllni lleeesrtnly ill pruetiee, l propose lo pnt,rdenllviner rolls or guides uronnd the turretv or reservoir lnur lopotlutter, to prevent roelling`r otturret ill tln-v reservoir.

liuving desel'ilwd the eonntrllrtion nlld operntion oi' nl v inlplovediioutillt: inutil-ry, so thllt ont` uitilled in thlllrt eollhi llllllteund use the. annie, winll. i elninl nu lll-w, illnl desire to net-.ureby lletteru l'ulollt` itt- I. The eluplovun-ut ot' n tioutint,r turret,ln eonlhinutiou with u llouting luuk orxhipu huil, uulmtuntiuily ill theluuuner und t'ol' the purpoxeu hereinlntore deserilled.

.3. Forming u vontlnllnieution llelween the interior ol' rdlip A undinside ol` tloutinir turret, Il, through the |`rnlnl` li und hollowulllltt l", xllhutuutiully ns und for the purpose. `wel. forth.

lu textiulony whereoll lnlvl` henunto set. uly hulld und ul-ul this Iiddn v ol- August, 18H2.

